What Christmas is as We Grow Older, Charles Dickens

Nearer and closer to our hearts be the Christmas spirit, which is the spirit of active usefulness, perseverance, cheerful discharge of duty, kindness and forbearance! It is in the last virtues especially, that we are, or should be, strengthened by the unaccomplished visions of our youth; for, who shall say that they are not our teachers to deal gently even with the impalpable nothings of the earth!

Therefore, as we grow older, let us be more thankful that the circle of our Christmas associations and of the lessons that they bring, expands! Let us welcome every one of them, and summon them to take their places by the Christmas hearth.

Welcome, old aspirations, glittering creatures of an ardent fancy, to your shelter underneath the holly! We know you, and have not outlived you yet. Welcome, old projects and old loves, however fleeting, to your nooks among the steadier lights that burn around us. Welcome, all that was ever real to our hearts; and for the earnestness that made you real, thanks to Heaven! Do we build no Christmas castles in the clouds now? Let our thoughts, fluttering like butterflies among these flowers of children, bear witness! Before this boy, there stretches out a Future, brighter than we ever looked on in our old romantic time, but bright with honour and with truth. Around this little head on which the sunny curls lie heaped, the graces sport, as prettily, as airily, as when there was no scythe within the reach of Time to shear away the curls of our first-love. Upon another girl’s face near it–placider but smiling bright–a quiet and contented little face, we see Home fairly written. Shining from the word, as rays shine from a star, we see how, when our graves are old, other hopes than ours are young, other hearts than ours are moved; how other ways are smoothed; how other happiness blooms, ripens, and decays–no, not decays, for other homes and other bands of children, not yet in being nor for ages yet to be, arise, and bloom and ripen to the end of all!

Welcome, everything! Welcome, alike what has been, and what never was, and what we hope may be, to your shelter underneath the holly, to your places round the Christmas fire, where what is sits open- hearted! In yonder shadow, do we see obtruding furtively upon the blaze, an enemy’s face? By Christmas Day we do forgive him! If the injury he has done us may admit of such companionship, let him come here and take his place. If otherwise, unhappily, let him go hence, assured that we will never injure nor accuse him.

There are many things from which I might have derived good, by which I have not profited, I dare say, Christmas among the rest. But I am sure I have always thought of Christmas time, when it has come round, — apart from the veneration due to its sacred origin, if anything belonging to it call be apart from that, — as a good time; a kind, forgiving, charitable, pleasant time; the only time I know of, in the long calendar of the year, when men and women seem by one consent to open their shut-up hearts freely, and to think of people below them as if they really were fellow-travellers to the grave, and not another race of creatures bound on other journeys. And therefore, uncle, though it has never put a scrap of gold or silver in my pocket, I believe that it has done me good, and will do me good; and I say, God bless it! — Ebenezer Scrooge’s Nephew, A Christmas Carol

Happy, happy Christmas, that can win us back to the delusions of our childish days; that can recall to the old man the pleasures of his youth; that can transport the sailor and the traveller, thousands of miles away, back to his own fire-side and his quiet home!” — Charles Dickens

We are heartbroken to inform you that Robinswing, the Editor and Writer of the renowned and powerful Sistahspeak series, passed away yesterday. We extend our heartfelt condolences to her family and friends.

To many of us, Robinswing was a powerful and inspirational voice for social justice, a good friend, a teacher, and an unabashed pure heart. Robinswing, a warrior for peace, justice, and kindness, graced us with some of her prophetic pieces here.

Tonight we pay tribute to Robinswing by re-posting a link to some of her resonant — and more relevant than ever — articles. Below is one of Robinswing’s most powerful and moving pieces. Her eternal light will continue to shine on and inspire us. May she Rest in Eternal Power.

Robinswing, thank you for sharing your gift and your powerful presence with us. We will miss you more than words can express.

I am excited to finally announce the launch of my Nature & Wildlife Photography website: http://www.spersaud.com. My hope is to inspire reverence for our natural heritage and, in so doing, raise consciousness about the necessity of environmental/wilderness conservation.

This week is also National Wildlife Refuge Week:

National wildlife refuges play a critical role in conserving America’s wildlife legacy. They also play an important role in human communities; by providing healthy habitats for wildlife, refuges improve the air we breathe, the water we drink, and improve soil quality and give protection against flooding in flood-prone areas. Local economies also rely on refuges. Refuge return an average of almost $5 for every $1 appropriated. They offer wonderful opportunities to hunt, fish, hike, and share the outdoors with friends and family. [National Wildlife Refuge Association]

We Are PowerShift 2012 – Winona LaDuke “We have to fight”

“The right of citizens of the United States to use and enjoy air, water, wildlife, and other renewable resources determined by the Congress to be common property shall not be impaired, nor shall such use impair their availability for the use of future generations”